The Big Fat Indian Wedding
by Lola5995
Summary: Parvati's getting married! All her friends are in India for her wedding, and theyre on a wedding high. Will our two favourite people finally realise their feelings for each other? DHr centric.
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything except the plot. 

"Bloody hell."

Draco Malfoy was standing at the entrance of Sweety Farms in an obscure corner of the outskirts of New Delhi, India. By his side were Scarhead and Weasel, of all people, and all three men had their eyes glued to a large sign on top of the gate. Gold lettering shone because of the lamps' light, proudly announcing a certain wedding.

NAMAN WEDS PARVATI

The distant thump-thump of a _dholki_ could be heard, along with the quivering, nasal voice of a lady singing wedding songs. There were fairy lights everywhere; and large cloths were draped over a structure of poles to form multiple canopies. It was actually quite beautiful, in shades of deep red, gold and white.

Draco was shoved to the side as two giggling girls, about 12 years old, ran past him. He banged right into The-Boy-Now-Man-Who-Lived, and Ginger-King. Don't get him wrong, he didn't hate them anymore. In fact, he was sort of even friends with them, not that he'd ever admit that out loud. But old habits die hard, and the name-calling certainly hadn't died at all.

Today, the Dreary Duo was looking even more moronic. They had tried to dress up in Indian kurta pajamas, but in Draco's opinion couldn't pull it off at all. Potter was wearing a too-loose orange kurta, with a bright blue stole and off white pajama, and Weasley had on an odd fitting midnight blue achkan with black churidaar pants. Not bad outfits overall, but the fitting… Sweet Merlin!

He couldn't believe he had spent almost a week with these tossers at a hotel. Granted, Granger was with them to help him cope, but really. The presence of the She-Weasel and Purple wasn't consoling either. Potter and Weaselette were almost always all over each other, and it was so disgusting. So were Carrot-Top and Purple, but they were even more annoying with the baby talk.

So yeah, Granger kept him sane. She had been since he joined the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where she worked. They spent quite some time together, and at first it had been rocky, but eventually they made a truce. Hell, it was because of her he even spoke to Potter and Weasley!

But you must be wondering, how the _fuck_ did he end up here?

Well, it all started two months ago…

A/N: Hi guys. This is my attempt at a light hearted multi chapter fic. It will have a lot of references to Indian culture and traditions, so feel free to ask me about them!

Also, reviewww. :*


	2. Chapter 1

_**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot**_

_**Two months earlier  
**_

Draco Malfoy was tired. He was at work, going over some silly file about some silly case, about which he really couldn't care less. So he shut the file and propped his feet up on his desk, promptly closing his eyes for a bit of rest.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Alas, it was not to be. Hermione Granger, Brightest Witch of her Age, Bookworm Extraordinaire, and Draco's partner, waltzed into his office with a dreamy look in her eyes. Draco cracked one eye open.

"What the _fuck_, Granger?"

She just smiled at him, eyes shining.

"Well?"

A laugh bubbled out of her, and she twirled in excitement. Draco thought it best to just wait it out.

"MALFOYYY!"

_Ow_. "Yes?" he asked, gritting his teeth together.

"PARVATI'S GETTING MARRIED!"

Parvati… Parvati _Patil_? Wasn't she in India? Yeah, ran after her Indian boyfriend or something.

"Granger, good for her, but why on earth are _you_ so excited?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Because, she's inviting all of us to her wedding! IN _INDIA_! I'm so excited-"

"I can see that-"

"-_always_ wanted to visit India-"

"Granger shut up-"

"-so pretty and _so_ much culture and…"

Draco tuned her out at that point, gently massaging his now throbbing head.

"That's great," he began, as soon as her rant ended. "Have fun, Granger. Don't worry, I'll cover for you here-"

"Oh, Malfoy. Weren't you listening to anything I said?! You're invited too, and you're going! With me!"

That shut him up. He opened his mouth to speak again, but couldn't form any words. In the end, he settled for "…er"

"Great! The wedding is in two months! Buy some Indian clothes." She checked her watch. "Whoops, gotta run. I'm meeting up with Mr. Reynolds in 15 minutes. Hopefully we'll get some headway on this silly case. Bye!"

And with that, Hermione Granger made her hurried exit.

Draco shook his head and mulled over the conversation that had just taken place. Well, it wasn't really a conversation. That required the input if _two_ people. But anyway, the point was, how was he going to get out of _this_ one?

.oOo.

Hermione scuttled over to Ginny and Lavender as they sat at a table in their favourite café.

"Guys, did you get Parvati's letter?!" Her excitement had not died down yet.

"Yeaaaah, we did. Are you okay?" Ginny said, sounding concerned.

"Oh, yes, I'm just so excited!"

Ginny giggled, whereas Lavender snorted.

Both girls looked at the blonde questioningly.

"What? I can't believe you're excited, Hermione. It's India. Come on, it probably stinks there _all_ the time! Ugh, even thinking about those cramped lanes and dirty alleys disgusts me."

Ginny nervously looked at Hermione, waiting for a response. She knew that Hermione had wanted to go to India forever, and attending an Indian wedding was on her bucket list.

Hermione's excitement suddenly faded away, replaced by an icy demeanor.

"Lavender," she spoke sweetly. Ginny cringed. Lavender sipped her decaf sugar-free coffee. "If you don't like it, don't _come_. _Don't_ attend your supposed best friend's _wedding_ at her _birthplace_."

Lavender just rolled her eyes. "Of course I'll _attend_. But only because its Parvati's wedding."

Hermione abruptly stood up. "Well, this has been fun." Her expression clearly betrayed her words. "Catch up later, loads of work to do-"

"Hermione wait!" Ginny called out.

But she had already walked out the door.

.oOo.

Hermione trudged to the Leaky Cauldron, where her little group met every Friday after work. Harry and Ron were drinking beer at the bar, and Lavender was simpering next to her Won-Won. She looked around for Ginny and saw her walking towards her.

"Hey, Hermione. All okay?"

This was just like Ginny. Sweet, concerned Ginny.

Hermione smiled a bit. "Yeah, all okay. Lets go and sit. Malfoy is coming in five."

Draco had been a part of their little group for some time now, and got along (barely) with everyone. Lavender especially grated on his nerves, even more than Harry or Ron did. Not that he would ever admit it. But Hermione knew. He hadn't ever told her, but she knew, because she felt the same way! Lavender was a bint. A crazy, bigoted bint, it seemed.

Hermione sat down next to Harry and ordered a Firewhiskey. Work had been rough. She looked over to the door and saw Draco walk in, blond hair whipping in the sharp wind. She waved at him to join them, and he came and sat down next to her.

.oOo.

Draco was having a good time, discussing non-official stuff with Granger for once. They were just about to launch into a debate on the Goblin Rebellion of 1212 when they were interrupted.

"Oi, Malfoy!" It was Potter. "Coming for the wedding right?"

_Shit_.

"Uh-"

"Of course he is!" Hermione chimed in.

"Oh, great. Spending a week with this git then," Potter joked. _Pathetic_.

Draco grimaced, sort of, and turned back to Hermione.

"Listen, Granger, I really don't think I can go for this wedding."

"…Oh," she said, with hurt in her eyes. "Okay then." She looked away and began to nurse her drink. Abruptly, she got up and muttered something about using the ladies room. Draco was perplexed. Had his statement hurt her that much? But _why_? She normally wasn't like that.

Suddenly he felt a sharp tug on his left arm. He whipped his head around to find a flash of red hair and a feminine face.

"_Jeez_ Weaslette-"

"Malfoy, what are you playing at?"

"What? I-"

"Why aren't you going for the wedding?"

"I don't even _like_ Parvati-"

"And Hermione?"

"…What?"

"She asks you to be her _date_ to the wedding, and this is what you do?! Come on, Draco. I know you like her. Everybody does, except her. And she obviously likes you. DO something man! And start by going to this goddam wedding with her!"

"Wait. _Date_? She asked me to be her _date_? When did- oh." _Oh_. He suddenly had a flashback to the time in his office, and him tuning her out. _Fuck_.

He needed to fix this, and fix this fucking _fast_.

A/N: So this is now the build up to the wedding, I think another chapter or two. Then off to India! :)

Please leave a review :)


	3. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything except the plot.

**.oOo.**

Hermione washed her tear stained face and scrubbed it till it was clean enough to be acceptable. _Stupid Malfoy. Who does he think he is, rejecting me. I should never have listened to Ginny. He obviously_ _cringes even thinking about me in that way._ Casting a quick drying charm, (she didn't trust the towels here), she left the ladies' room, only to be confronted by Draco Malfoy.

"Hermione."

"Yeah, hi. Sorry about that. Really needed to use the loo."

"Um, listen, about the wedding-"

"Draco, you don't need to say anything. Its okay, I'll go alone."

"N-no! I'll come. As your date?"

"What?"

"Yeah, see, when you came to my office earlier today, I sort of tuned you out and… er…"

"Malfoy!" she said, as her lips quirked up. He just gave her a sheepish smile. "Um. Look, I know Ginny put you up to this, but we're going as friends, yeah?"

Draco stood silent for a second. _Maybe Weaslette was mistaken_. "Yeah, Granger, jeez," he said, with his usual eye-roll.

Hermione cracked a small smile. Truth was, she didn't want to make her attraction to him obvious. Merlin knew his ego was inflated enough. So she just backtracked, and pushed her feelings aside.

Yes, it was better this way.

"So, Granger, tell me more about this wedding."

He watched in rapt attention as uninhibited glee overtook her face once again, and she rattled on about India.

**.oOo.**

Hermione was having a great time now. Her mood had been completely overturned once again, and she could almost feel Lavender's grimace from two seats beside her. The group had now shifted to a smallish table at the corner of the bar, where they ordered fish and chips.

"Hermione, are you and Draco going then? For the wedding?" Ginny asked, chewing on a piece of fried fish.

"Yeah, we are," Hermione replied. "And I'm SO excited!"

Her smile was turned upside down when she saw Ginny's sly smirk. She discreetly shook her head at her, and Ginny looked very confused.

"Hermione, can you please not be so excited?"

Hermione whipped her head around to stare at Lavender Brown's despicable face. Her nostrils flared, and Ginny put her head in her hands. Hermione's flaring nostrils were never a good thing.

"Whats the problem, Brown?" It was Draco. "Why is her excitement bothering you?" he asked, genuinely baffled.

"Well, because its India, of course! God, I hope we don't have to ride around on cows." Lavender very tactfully punctuated this comment with a giggle.

There was a long, awkward silence at the table.

"Wow, you are really ignorant, aren't you?" Draco asked her. "You should know," he began, getting his game face on, "that India is not-"

He was cut off by a soft hand on his wrist. His eyes traced the beautiful arm, and landed on the face of Hermione Granger. A very restrained-looking Hermione Granger.

"Leave it," she whispered, despite the silent anger bubbling inside her.

Draco studied her intently. After a while, he relaxed and let Hermione start a new topic of conversation. After that there was a visible sense of relief on the table as well; nobody wanted to see an angry Draco.

**.oOo.**

_**The next day**_

"OKAY! So our tickets are booked, flight time is about 8 hours, and it leaves on 14th December at 9 pm!"

Hermione the Planner was in action. She had magical memos sent to everyone, summoning them for a meeting today, dying to tell them the details. Unfortunately, Ron had thought to bring Lavender as well. Hermione didn't want to see he cow's face, but she would have no choice. No matter, she would just ignore her.

"We're using Indian Airlines," Hermione continued and expertly avoided Lavender's disdainful snort. "And we'll arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi at 5:10 am. That's About 9:30 am, IST. That's Indian Standard Time. And from there, Flamenco Tours has arranged a pick up for us. They'll take us straight to Hotel Ramada in Cannaught Place, which is in Central Delhi. That's about 45 minutes of driving, not counting traffic…" Hermione droned on, and Draco couldn't stop the smile that crept upon his face. She was in her zone. Her hands flying around her as she made gestures, her eyes gleaming with excitement, and her hair doing its own dance of joy. He knew that this trip would make her very happy. The simple reason being that she had wanted to go to India since she had been a child. Hey, she told him herself! They did more than just office work at the Ministry. Somewhere along the line they had bonded.

Hermione had always been inclined towards Indian culture. She begged her parents to take her to India, and they said they would in good time. But it never came. After the war, she could not reverse the memory charm on her parents. It proved to be too complex for even her, the brightest witch of her age. It broke her, inside and out. In a way, she felt, it was even worse because they were alive, but couldn't remember her. They didn't remember that they had a daughter; that she even existed. That twisted her gut the most. But even though they didn't know her, she did. She put a tracking spell on them, to know that they were okay, so she could have some sense of peace.

On 15th May 2001, they were killed in a car crash.

In the past thirteen years, she had learnt to cope with it. Not forget it, no. Never. She still missed them, of course. But she learnt how to get on with life. Over time, instead of crying while reminiscing, she began to laugh. Soon, she decided that she would live life to the fullest, because she could be in a car crash on 15th May, or June, or July, or any other day. She would do all that she had ever wanted to, she would be happy, and content with life. Easier said than done, of course. She had taken baby steps: snapping photos of things that made her happy, the Muggle way. Or going through old photographs of her childhood.

But now, this trip was the big one. She would finally go to her dream destination, and for a Punjabi wedding no less! She was super-psyched, to say the least. She wished that her parents could be there with her, but it was not meant to be. So she settled for the next best thing: going with her second family. Or, well, her family. At the ministry, everyone was positively inundated with work, and as a result the group of friends hadn't spent a fun weekend, or more, in a really, _really_ long time. This was their chance!

"…and yeah, that about wraps it up. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads. Lavender opened her mouth to say something, but Ron silenced her.

"Well then! It's settled! The next week will be spent on shopping, and then we'll go. Parvati has sent some brochures too! We can choose outfits out of that. Er, Ginny, please help me with that department," Ginny nodded, smiling slightly, "and yeah! That's it. See you guys."

Everyone thanked her awkwardly and slowly dispersed.

_Things are well underway_, Hermione thought. She hummed a appy tune and began working on her latest case with renewed vigour.

* * *

A/N: Hi guys, sorry for the delay. College keeps me busy! Anyway, this is the last chapter in England, and the next chapter is in INDIA! Yay! Haha, I'm excited.

Revewww :)


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. 

**.oOo.**

_**New Delhi**_

Draco groaned as they reached the cab that had been arranged for them Here they were, at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. He was so exhausted! This Muggle airplane really was a pain. All part of the experience, Granger had said. Well, fuck. His joints hurt from being so stiff for eight hours, and he had a crick in his neck. And now, they had to sit again! In this cab, no less. When he had inquired as to why they couldn't just apparate, Granger had calmly replied, "Parvati arranged this. I'm sure there was a good reason."

He almost tore his hair out.

"Sir, please make yourself comfortable," the driver said politely, as if not noticing the frustration on his face. He loaded his bags into the boot of the large SUV, and opened the car door. He was faced with a terrible sight. The twisted, scowling face of Lavender Brown, and an irate looking Hermione Granger at the back, with an empty seat between them. He sighed, and climbed on.

**.oOo.**

It turned out that Harry and Ginny had gone off in the safer cab, with their luggage as company. This left Ron, who was currently seated in the front seat, next to the driver, Prateek. The lucky bastard had fallen asleep, something which Draco couldn't do because of the ladies on either side of him.

As if to prove his point, Lavender scrunched up her nose and said, "Ugh, look at these stupid roads! They are so bumpy. Why are we in a third world country again? And look at these dirty naked people wandering the streets!"

A muscle ticked in Hermione's jaw.

Draco squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for another blow from Hermione's side.

"Lavender, it would do us all some good if you would shut up, and try to enjoy the country you're in."

"Jeez, Hermione, chill out. I'm just pointing out how smelly and dirty these Indians are."

"For your information, Lavender…"

And so it continued. Back and forth, like a tennis ball in an excruciating rally. Draco's head was pounding, a loud thumping between his eyes. He needed to sleep and he was beyond pissed. This Lavender chick was really getting on his nerves. Such people made his blood boil. Passing judgement without prior knowledge of the matter at hand, in his opinion, was a grave offence. How can you judge an entire country to be smelly?! Honestly, it was mind boggling for him.

"-stinky, rude-"

"SHUT UP!" Draco roared, having finally had enough. A rustling of fabric came from the passenger seat, followed by a "Waaaht?" Weasley was up. Great. On the positive side, they women had shut up. Hermione was looking out of the window, fuming. Lavender was doing the same, but sulking too. Weasley seemed to have gone back to sleep. Draco put his head in his hands. This was going to be a looong trip.

**.oOo.**

"Here we are. Hotel Ramada Plaza," Prateek the Driver said, as he opened the door of the car. The bellhop helped them unload the luggage, and the four tired travellers trudged to the reception. They saw Harry and Ginny curled into each other on a sofa, paying no attention to their surroundings whatsoever. An elderly Indian couple stared at them in shock as Harry pressed a sensuous kiss on Ginny's lips.

"OY!," Ron shouted. "If you two lovebirds are quite done, lets get our bloody rooms. I'm knackered."

Ginny giggled. "We already got them, Grumpy. We were waiting for you all."

"Was it really necessary to wait like that? Harry, shes my sister!"

"Oh Ron, come off it," Hermione scolded, as she proceeded to grab the room keys from Ginny's hand. "Lets go!"

They slowly shuffled along to the elevator, and after about 23 seconds of waiting, the doors opened with a ding. The lift opened again at the 14th floor, and the group stepped out. A stretch of brown doors on beige walls could be seen on either side, and they began to find their rooms.

"1419, 1420… ah! Here it is. 1425. Come on Ginny," Harry said, as he slid the key card into the slot. The little green light blinked, and they were in.

"Wait! You're staying with Ginny?" Ron asked, his mouth agape.

"Well, yeah mate, aren't you staying with Lavender?" Harry replied with a frown.

"Uhm…"

"You had better stay with Lavender, Ron. I definitely wont." Hermione gave the cow an icy glare.

"Whoa, Granger. I know you want me, but don't make it so obvious that you want to spend more time with me!" Draco said, waggling his eyebrows. Several snorts were heard, including Hermione's. She rolled her eyes to try and cover up the faint blush on her cheeks, but failed monumentally.

"So its settled then," Ron exclaimed, slightly nervous. "Lavender and I will stay together," this was punctuated by Lavender with a wet kiss, "and 'Mione and Malfoy together." Lavender smirked at Hermione, as if she had just won something_. Yeah, won Won-Won_.

With that, Ron swiftly unlocked his room, 1427, which was adjacent to Harry and Ginny's. Both couples locked their doors behind them, and faint giggling sounds could be heard from both girls.

Hermione sighed and turned towards her now roommate. He was studying his key card intently. She shook her head and grabbed his arm, yanking it as she turned around. 1426. Bang opposite the other two rooms. Using her keycard, she gained access into the room she would be calling her own (and Draco's) for the next week or so.

Two single beds (thank Merlin) were placed a little apart from each other, with a small square table separating them. The table had a simple yet elegant looking lamp, which to Hermione meant just one thing. She could read at night!

The walls were a nice, neutral shade of cream, and the furniture was wooden. It really was quite a charming room.

"Not bad," Draco murmured, as he took the room in. He turned his neck to look t Hermione, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Granger?" he called out.

"In here!" a voice came from the bathroom.

Draco peered inside. "Not bad, not bad at all." The washroom had a bath and a shower, along with other necessities: the pot and the sink.

"I know!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's great, I'm so exciiiiiyaaawwwwnn-"

"Granger, lets just sleep. We'll explore later. We're both obviously exhausted.

She nodded and followed him to the room.

"Dibs on this bed!" she said, as she collapsed on to the bed closer to the bathroom and the main door.

"Sure," Draco muttered. "I sleep on the left anyway."

**.oOo.**

A/N: Okay, they're in India now. So I would just like to say something. There's probably going to be a lot of Lavender-bashing in this fic, because she's so anti-India. Why? Well, I was doing some research for her character and googled 'Why do people hate India" on a whim. What I read was both ridiculous and deeply painful. I hope you readers are smarter than that and don't agree with such opinions. I was really angry, and I'm going to basically vent when it comes to Lavender. :P

Don't worry, it won't be too much. She'll learn eventually.

Ok end rant.

Revieww. Tell me if you liked it!


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

**.oOo.**

Hermione groggily opened her eyes and yawned wide. She flicked on the lamp switch and squinted to look at the time. 8 o'clock.

…

EIGHT? They had slept for eight hours! Oh, no, their sleep cycle was going for a toss. She jumped out of bed, feeling reasonably rejuvenated, and shook Draco awake.

"GETTT UPPPPP," she bellowed near his ear.

"Fuck, Granger, what the fuck! Is something wrong? Are we under attack?!" He grabbed blindly for his wand, which was kept on the table. He stopped abruptly when he heard giggling.

He sat up to find Hermione smiling down at him, and couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Fuck, Granger, you're mental. Why did you wake me up?"

"Because, Draco, we slept for eight hours! It is eight pm now. We should get going."

"Wait, get going? Get going where?!" Draco asked, expecting the worst.

"To meet Parvati of course!"

…Ah, hell.

.oOo.

By 9 pm, everybody was dressed and ready to go to Parvati's house. They were a little apprehensive about meeting her parents, but Hermione assured them everything would be fine. Lavender muttered something about primitive beings, but everyone just ignored her. Draco was shocked that she could say that about her supposed best friend's parents, but wisely kept quiet.

They piled into two cars again, and soon, got stuck in traffic.

"Oh, god. There are so many freaking people in this country! Look at the freaking traffic jam here!" Lavender exclaimed from the back. Ron tried, in vain, to shut her up. "Have they not heard of birth control? Oh right, sorry, I forgot that they don't have proper medical facilities. Silly me!"

"Lavender, shut your fucking trap," Hermione spat.

"Yeah, Brown. Shut up if you value your dignity," Draco added.

"Oh, so now that you guys have slept together, you defend her?!"

"What?!" Draco and Hermione yelled in unison. "We have not slept together, you daft chick," Draco continued. "Regardless, I will defend her, because she's right."

Lavender snorted, clearly not believing him.

The car smoothly pulled to a stop then, and the driver told them that they had reached their destination. 53 Sri Ram Road.

Ron quickly got off the car and helped his girlfriend, trying to avoid another argument. Hermione and Draco were both fuming, but decided not to say anything so that the mood wasn't soured when they met Mr. and Mrs. Patil. Harry and Ginny had reached just a few minutes before them, and were waiting at the doorstep of the house.

"Ready to rockkk?" Ginny asked, unaware of the mood. Lavender rolled her eyes and just brushed past her, ringing the doorbell. The rest ignored the question. "Er, okay then…"

A tall woman in her early fifties opened the door. She had large brown eyes, a prominent nose, and full lips stretched into a pleasant smile.

"Lavender!" the woman said, with a stiff smile. She then looked at the rest of them. "Hello, you must be Parvati's friends. Come in, come in." She held the door wide open, and ushered them in. Hermione said a polite _namaste_ with her hands folded, and Ginny followed suit. Mrs. Patil laughed. "Oh, it seems you girls have done your homework!" The girls smiled sheepishly, except for Lavender, who just rolled her eyes.

The group entered into a large lobby, which housed ornate baskets full of gifts. Each basket was made of cane and painted white. Inside was an elegant dull gold _potli_ or bag, filled with almonds and black currants. These kinds of things were frequently given to people who attended functions, as a gift. The handle of the basket was adorned with the same dull gold net as the _potli_. The whole thing was very pretty, and Ginny was already fawning over it.

Mrs. Patil laughed, amused by Ginny's awestruck expression. "I'm terribly sorry, but you will find such things across the house. It's a complete mess, but we need place to keep things!"

"Wait, Mrs. Patil… there's _more_?" Draco asked, a bit more than surprised.

Mrs. Patil looked at him oddly.

"Well, of course there is! And call me Poonam Aunty."

.oOo.

The group entered a large drawing room, which was nicely done with classy furniture and décor. A pair of slim, dusky women was sitting and chatting with each other, having not yet noticed the visitors. Mrs. Patil cleared her throat, which caused the women to halt their conversation and look in their direction. Upon doing so, their eyes widened, and a look of delight overtook their faces.

Padma and Parvati stood up hastily and made their way to the group. Parvati went straight to Lavender, crushing the girl in an embrace. Lavender returned it, eyes shining in excitement. Padma came and hugged Hermione first, then Ginny. Soon, everyone had exchanged pleasantries (awkward ones for Draco, as they didn't really know how he came to be in their group) and they all sat down on the various sofas. They were introduced to Mr. Praveen Patil, father of the bride, after a while. They sat and chatted for a while, catching up over chicken tikkas and alcohol, and reminiscing their school days. The twins had even warmed up to Draco, Parvati going as far as teasing him about his haughty nature in school.

Conversation was flowing freely, as was the booze. Mrs. Patil entered the room to call them all out to the dining room for dinner.

"Oh, great, Indian food," Lavender muttered and rolled her eyes. Parvati seemed to be within earshot, but gave no reaction. Padma, on the other hand, made a face at Lavender's back.

Hermione practically sprinted to the door. She was very eager to try authentic Indian food. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't only curries, and she was just dying to try some. Soon, everyone had assembled in the dining room, where a large spread of food was laid, rivaling the feasts back at the Great Hall. A number of other relatives had also emerged from their rooms, some even from Canada. They were all fairly nice, with the exception of a few.

"OHHH, you abroad people like India?"

Exhibit A. Dolly Aunty.

Dolly Thakur was Padma and Parvati's bhua, or father's sister. She really was an annoying bint.

"You understand our culture, no? I show you othervize!" Dolly Aunty squealed. Lavender, having experienced this before, walked away from the conversation with a disgusted face. Ron followed suit, trying to keep her in check.

Draco was not so lucky.

"What your name?" Dolly Aunty asked him, clearly checking him out. Her English was obviously not her strong suit, but it was the only way she could communicate with the visiting group.

"Er, Draco Malfoy."

Dolly Aunty's eyes widened.

"Hayye hayye," she breathed. "You are Draco Malfoy?! …POONAM! What is this Death Eater doing at our house!"


End file.
